Raising Readers
February 15 @ 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Join us on February 15, 2025, for Raising Readers: Partnering with Parents and Educators for Literacy Success, held in-person at Grove City College. This event is designed to inspire collaboration and equip attendees with tools to support literacy development.
Keynote:
Dr. Steve Dykstra – The Developmental Needs of Children: What Matters Most and Where Reading Fits in the Equation
While reading is important there is a lot that matters as much or more. Understanding how the big pieces fit together and why they matter so much requires us to understand brains and what it means to “grow up” and become adults in the 21st century. Development isn’t just about growth charts and milestones. It’s about a lot more and understanding how it can go wrong makes us better at helping it go right.
Concurrent Sessions:
Dr. Steve Dykstra – Dyslexia and its Entourage
Most kids with dyslexia have other stuff going on as well, like ADHD, anxiety, executive function issues, and a variety of strengths and weaknesses. There are reasons why we see these patterns, some of which bring us back to brains and how they work, while are based in how dyslexia shapes the experiences of the children who live with it. Dr. Dykstra will do his best to explain it so we can understand and think about it more effectively. Not everything that comes with dyslexia is dyslexia. We’ll do our best to sort truth from myth, explain how diagnostic conventions play a part, and acknowledge there is a lot we don’t know. We’ll discuss how we got here, how we are still influenced by certain myths, and incase you’re interested, answer the question of how and where dyslexia is in the DSM 5, right down to the page number(s) and how it has evolved from past editions of the DSM.
Linda Delvaux – Mastering Phonemic Awareness: Using Sound Boxes and Manipulatives for Reading and Spelling Success
Discover how to use sound boxes (Elkonin Boxes) and manipulatives to build phonemic awareness, strengthen phonics skills, and improve spelling in this engaging and practical session. This hands-on, evidence-based strategy helps students isolate and manipulate sounds in words, fostering critical connections between sounds and letters. Walk away with actionable techniques to support learners at home or in the classroom.
Schedule:
| 8:00am | Doors Open for Registration Check In |
| 8:45am | Opening Remarks |
| 9:00 – 10:30am | Keynote with Dr. Dykstra |
| 10:45 – 10:55am | Break |
| 11:00 – 12:00pm | Concurrent Sessions |
| 12:10 – 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:15 – 2:15pm | Concurrent Sessions |
| 2:15 – 2:30pm | Break |
| 2:30 – 3:30pm | Concurrent Sessions |
| 3:30pm | Conclusion |
Speakers:
Dr. Steve Dykstra is a psychologist from Milwaukee Wisconsin. Soon to be retired from over 30 years of public service, he has developed a powerful interest in reading and literacy because of the powerful effect it has on the developmental outcomes of children. While he has never taught children to read beyond the things nearly all parents do, he has advocated for dozens of children, served on several state panels and commissions, consulted to multiple states and organizations, spoken at numerous conferences, and moderated expert panels on a variety of reading topics. Besides his expertise on the social and emotional consequences of reading difficulty he is well regarded for his ability to explain complex, incomplete, and sometimes conflicting science, often by generating metaphors for which he is known. He currently serves on the boards of two Wisconsin literacy groups in which he helped found. He loves to travel and is an avid photographer. Ask him to share his photos and you might be there a while.
Dr. Natalie Heisey
Dr. Linda Culbertson
Dr. Kelly Ballard
Dr. Tammi Martin
Linda Delvaux
Dr. Constance Nichols
More speakers announced soon!
CEU’s and Certificates
Earn ALTA, CERI, IMSLEC, and Wilson CEU’s. We are also partnering with Ohio to provide educator credits!
Please ensure all form submissions are completed by February 28 to receive certificates.
Certificates of completion will be emailed to you between March 5 – 14.
Registration
$30 per person, optional boxed lunch included
Registration Terms:
Registrations cannot be transferred.
Cancellations prior to February 1 will result in a $15 processing fee.
Cancellations after February 1 will forfeit any reimbursement.
Location
The Staley Hall of Arts and Letters at Grove City College